The following is a quick update following our last communication to you regarding the Labour Court hearings held on the 29th January 2017.

The Labour Court has now issued its recommendations in respect of both cases that were referred by your Union.

Having regard to the totality of the case presented to them the Court has decided to focus its findings on the general relationship that currently exists between your Union and Tesco Ireland. As you are aware the state of this relationship has deteriorated greatly over the past 12 months in particular. In recognition of this indisputable fact the Court has recommended the Union and the Company should engage over the next 12 weeks in an effort to repair the damaged relationship for the good of all concerned.

Your Union is supportive of the Court’s recommendation and we have now written to the Company in order to determine whether they are agreeable to engage along the lines envisaged by the Court. There can be no doubt that everybody working in the Tesco Ireland business would benefit greatly from an improvement in the overall relationship between the Union and the Company.

This is something our members clearly want and proof of this is reflected in the initial responses to our Tesco Ireland membership survey that was launched last week where so far nearly 98% of respondents have declared a desire for their employer to deal directly with their Union on individual and collective matters.

Your Union is prepared to make a genuine effort to meaningfully engage with the Company however we must now await a response from senior management to see if they are agreeable to proceed in accordance with the terms recommended by the Labour Court.

As always you will be appraised of any developments as they happen

DON’T FORGET IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY PLEASE TAKE THE TESCO IRELAND 2018 MEMBERSHIP SURVEY THROUGH THIS LINK.

Mandate Trade Union has launched the Tesco Workers Together Survey 2018 today in order to give members in Tesco Ireland a strong, independent and powerful voice at work.

This survey is now an important annual event for all Tesco Ireland workers and allows you through your Union formulate claims which seek to improve your terms and conditions at work.

It is important that all Mandate members in Tesco Ireland take 5 minutes to complete this survey. Have your say on your future at work today by clicking here.

The results of last year’s survey, which was completed by thousands of workers in Tesco Ireland, enabled your union to process the following claim with the company, and subsequently the Labour Court:

A 3% wage increase for 2017

An additional 500 full time jobs

A wage increase weighted in favour of those on the lower hourly rates of pay

A review of current weekly hours

We are currently awaiting a recommendation from the Labour Court on these matters.

The Tesco Workers Together campaign was founded in 2016 in order to bring all Tesco Ireland workers in Ireland together for the betterment of all. The primary motives of the campaign are to ensure that no Tesco Ireland worker can have their terms and conditions deteriorated by the company without their agreement, and also to lift the working conditions of all workers in Tesco Ireland.

Tesco Ireland is one of the largest private sector employers in the country, controlling almost €1 in every €4 spent on groceries and with estimated profits in the region of €250 million per year.

Much of the success of Tesco Ireland is down to its workers, and we believe you and your fellow Union members, as valuable contributors to that success, should share in the benefits as much as possible.

NOW MORE THAN EVER IS NOT THE TIME TO REMAIN SILENT, HAVE YOUR SAY, TAKE THE SURVEY TODAY AND ALWAYS REMEMBER, TOGETHER WE ARE STRONGER

The Labour Court heard this morning (Monday, January 29th) from both Mandate & Siptu Trade Unions and Tesco Ireland management in relation to two outstanding claims made by the Unions on behalf of their members employed in Tesco Ireland.

The two cases include:

Claim 1

A 3% wage increase for 2017

An additional 500 full time jobs

A wage increase weighted in favour of those on the lower hourly rates of pay

A review of current weekly hours

Claim 2

A claim for outstanding pay increases for pre-1996 staff that have already been paid to all other staff in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

The Court has now entered into deliberations and their recommendation is expected in the coming weeks. All Mandate & Siptu members working in Tesco will be informed of the outcome as soon as it is available.

Two pending Labour Court cases by Mandate Trade Union vs Tesco Ireland have been rearranged and will now take place on Monday, 29th January 2018.

The two cases include:

A claim by Mandate on Tesco Ireland to create more full-time permanent jobs following Tesco’s removal of more than 1,500 full-time position in recent years. Highly profitable retailers like Tesco have no excuse for not creating more decent full-time positions, with good rates of pay and good rosters. Another element of this claim is for a review of the current Banded Hours Agreement.

A claim for a six percent pay increase for pre-1996 staff that all other staff have received.

The two cases will be heard separately and Mandate Trade Union will inform all Tesco members of the outcome as soon as possible.

Mandate Trade Union contacted all major retailers with regard to their intentions to protect their staff health and safety for the duration of the national emergency. In particular we were advising employers that stores should close and staff should be sent home and paid in full. We are happy to report that after numerous interventions from Mandate Trade Union on the morning of the storm, Tesco agreed to eventually close stores and send staff home without loss of pay.

2. Mandate Trade Union will continue to fight for Decency and Respect for Tesco workers:

We are pursuing Tesco to create significantly more full-time permanent jobs. In the last 18 months Tesco has taken out over 1,500 fulltime permanent jobs replacing them with part-time jobs, many of which fail to provide enough earnings for workers to survive. Profitable retailers have no excuse for not creating more decent fulltime positions, with good rates of pay and good rosters .The Labour Court will hear a case on the 4th Jan 18 lodged by Mandate for a review of the current Banded Hours Agreement. On the same date the Labour Court will also hear a case against Tesco for the non-payment of pay increases to pre 96 members.

There are two pay scales in Tesco at the moment, we are pursuing an equality agenda demanding that all employees are equalised upwards to the higher pay scale and that progression on the scale should be 12 months for all employees.

3. Project Black Continues

Tesco continue to interfere with workers’ rights and workers’ voice at work. We believe the company is trying to dismantle your union, silence your voice at work and weaken workers’ ability to secure decent terms and conditions into the future. The following are just some of Tesco’s actions:

Tesco removed 2,000 workers who either went on strike or threatened to go on strike from the contractual company/union agreement for the payment of union subs via payroll (majority of these members have now signed up to the union on-line payment).

For the remaining members paying their subs via payroll the company continues to forward your union subs (albeit belatedly) to Union Head Office, but Tesco are refusing to include a listing of those members for whom the money is to be credited against. This is an attempt to interfere with your union payment history and cause some confusion among members.

Tesco refuse to engage with your union on collective issues such as pay and benefits. As we know the Company is attempting to position itself as the sole determinant of all your future pay increases and terms and conditions of employment. Collective bargaining is important to every Tesco worker, it’s your voice at work, it’s your collective independent power, it delivers pay and conditions on which you have a say. Anything short of full engagement with your union puts all your existing and future pay and conditions at the mercy of management

Tesco is attempting to limit the access of your Union Officials to stores – this is an attack on your rights to be fully represented by well-trained union officials who can fight your corner and protect you against mistreatment.

Mandate believes that Tesco will not be satisfied until it totally dismantles all union structures and all workers’ influence at work at which stage they can effectively do what they want with employees. This is the aim of “Project Black”, but it will not succeed. Irish workers will not tolerate Tesco attacking their union and their Voice at Work. The terms and conditions enjoyed by Tesco workers today were not given freely by the company, they were won down through the years by employees in a strong union and via collective bargaining.

4. Christmas Trading Arrangements and Conditions of Employment

Mandate Trade Union will be shortly circulating Christmas arrangements and conditions which should be applied by Tesco to all members working over the holiday period. For full details of the Christmas Trading/Working Agreement please click here:

Georgia: Stop union busting at Rustavi Avot

A fertilizer producer in Georgia has been trying to force its workers to quit their union, and has illegally fired 350 people.

The new management at “Rustavi Azot” refuses to talk with the union, and the Ministry of Labour has been unable to convince the employer to come to the bargaining table. Meanwhile the management is forcing workers to accept short-term contracts, and has barred the union leaders from visiting the company. Every day, workers are being forced to quit their union in order to keep their jobs.

IndustriALL global union and its affiliate in Georgia, the Trade Union of Metallurgy, Mining and Chemical Industry Workers of Georgia (TUMMCIWG), have launched a global online campaign on LabourStart to demand that the employer immediately stop the persecution and undermining of the union, to grant access of the union chairman to the enterprise together with union members, and to start negotiations with the union to bring an end to this dispute.